The importance of mental relaxation

In a world where so much attention is placed on achieving goals, we are constantly busy doing and trying to accomplish a whole multitude of different tasks every day. As a result, we can often neglect the very basic needs of our highly worked, but incredible solution focused and more positive aspects of our brain.

For many of us we will see a good night’s sleep as the holy
grail for a balanced life. New research carried out by the National Council for
Social Research discovered that the most rested people scored 15pts higher on a
happiness scale than those that struggled to get the sleep they felt they needed.
It is estimated that as adults we need between 7-9 hours of quality sleep a
night. However all too often we don’t achieve that perfect night’s sleep and this
can have a knock-on effect on our relationships and work productivity, as we
end up feeling sluggish throughout our day.

So how can we help ourselves to overcome the problems that
lead to a lack of sleep?

As a clinical Hypnotherapist and Psychotherapist, I am
often asked ‘How can I relax?’ There are many ways to relax and unwind,
relaxation is different for everyone. For some it’s finding a way to rest an
over-worked body, but for others and more commonly among those people I
encounter, is a need to rest an over-worked mind.

This may sound like a simple activity, but for those who
are used to worrying about, well just about everything, it can be difficult to
change habits that have formed in the brain over time.

This is where Hypnotherapy comes in as a useful and
powerful tool to help ease and relieve our troubled minds. Hypnotherapy can restore
balance to a potentially over-worked mind, allowing it to process the worries
of the day, bring stillness and calm to the body and free up time to allow an
individual to enter a deeper more restorative quality sleep during the night.

Today neuroscientists
have identified four main types of brain activity that can be measured by an
EEG device. These are outlined below.

Of these key brain wave states, the one that is identified
as being associated with creativity is the awake and resting thought process.
This is associated with activity in the pre-frontal cortex, and this is the
area when logic and reasoning can present us with solutions to problems.

Meditation states have also shown that during periods of
physical and mental rest, we allow the mind to quieten down, and during this
period of deep mental and physical rest our minds can recover and process our
feelings and issues. The more we are able to find ways to do this, the less
stress we carry with us during our waking day. This in turn frees the mind to
have a more effective, deeper and restorative sleep.

Here is a list of different ways in which we can allow our
mind that vital time to relax from our worried state.

Read a book or a magazine, even if it’s only for a
few minutes. This can allow your mind to escape your worries for a short time.

Run yourself a bath, watch a film, play with a pet
or try out a new recipe. All great and enjoyable methods to focus on something
other than your worries.

Mindfulness
and Meditation –

Breathe
in through your nose and out through your mouth. Try to keep your shoulders
down and relaxed and place your hand on your stomach – it should rise as you
breathe in and fall as you breathe out. Count as you breathe. Start by counting
‘one, two, three, four’ as you breathe in and ‘one, two, three, four’ as you
breathe out. Try to work out what’s comfortable for you.

Breathing
in this way gives our mind a focus and allows us to begin to take control of
our own mind. One of the methods that we can learn that teaches us to calm and
relax our mind is Mindfulness. You can find a qualified teacher. This has been
proven to improve anxiety or depression.

Take a walk in the countryside or through a local
park, taking time to notice trees, flowers, plants and animals you see on the
way.

Spend some time taking part in conservation,
whether that’s digging in your own garden or taking part in a local green
project. You can find projects and outdoor activities to suit whatever level of
mobility you have.

Look for a local Hypnotherapist that offers mental
relaxation classes or sessions.

Look for a class you’d like to try, such as yoga,
Pilates or gentle stretching. These activities help focus the mind and body
allow us to restore a balance to our thinking.

Try painting, drawing, making crafts, playing a
musical instrument, dancing, baking or sewing.

Listen to your favourite songs. Turn up the volume
and dance or sing along or put your headphones on and close your eyes, really
listen to the music. Can you pick out different instruments? Can you hear a
drum beat or a certain rhythm? Focus on the music, and let other thoughts fade
away.

Think of somewhere relaxing and peaceful. You might
choose a memory of somewhere you’ve been, or a place you have imagined.

If we consider that
we are more productive as people when we are relaxed and in a calm and creative
mindset. It should therefore naturally follow that if we allow ourselves the
freedom to ensure we make the time and effort to relax and invest in our own long-term
wellbeing, then this is a priceless gift to ourselves.